The present invention relates generally to a disk drive unit and, more particularly, to a tilt device for an external disk drive unit of a computer.
Portable, external disk drive units are commonly used as add-on devices to computers to provide a computer user with additional options for storage and retrieval of data. For example, older generation personal computers (PCs) may lack a 3.5-inch disk drive unit that accomodates 3.5-inch diskettes, which are commonly used in newer generation PCs. Similarly, newer generation PCs may lack a 5.25-inch disk drive unit that accomodates 5.25-inch diskettes, which were commonly used in older generation PCs. External disk drive units provide a convenient way to enable a PC to be compatible with data stored on various recording media that are otherwise incompatible with the PC. In addition, only the newest PCs are equipped with CD-ROM disk drive units and therefore an external CD-ROM drive unit is a simple and convenient way to upgrade a PC to allow data stored on CD-ROM disks to be accessible without having to replace the PC.
Nevertheless, the external disk drive units that are presently available are generally inconvenient to use because the low profile of the drive units makes the loading and unloading of diskettes or CD-ROM disks difficult. A user often must bend down or hunch over to load and unload a diskette to ensure that the diskette enters and exits the disk drive unit properly. One alternative is to place the disk drive unit on top of a stack of books. This poses the danger of damage to the disk drive unit if it falls off the stack of books, for example. Another alternative is to purchase a separate stand to elevate the disk drive unit. This, of course, adds to the cost of having an external disk drive unit and it also adds to the inconvenience of having an external disk drive unit by requiring the purchase of additional items to make the disk drive unit more comfortable to use.